Velocipede



(No Model.)

M; GRAHSER.

' VELOGIPEDE. v No. 287.825. Patented ov. 6, 1883.

N. Fh'rirls Photn-Liihognwler, Washington. 0.1:.

3o the bed or body A, and has connected to it a UNITED STATES PATENT; OFICE.

MIOHAEL GRAI-ISER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

-VELVOCIP-EDEI.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 287,825, dated November6, 1883.

I I I Application filed September 4, 1882. (No model.) I V 7 To alliuhone it concern:

Be .it known that I, MIcI-IAEL-GRAHsER, a citizen of theUnited States ofAmerica, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and- State ofIllinois, have invented an Improvement in Hand-Velocipedes, of which thefollowing is a specification, to wit:

frame a, and having its end This invention relates to wagons orvelocipedes operated by hand-power; and it consists in certainpeculiarities of construction,'whereby thepower and speed may beincreasedor diminished at the will of the operator, as may be desirablefor different kinds of road, substantially as will be more fullydescribed hereinafter. I

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention relates tomake and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its constructionand operation, referring to. the ac-' companying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is atop plan view of my invention; Fig. 2, a bottom plan view;Fi 3, a side elevation, and Fig. 4 a detail view of one of-the clutches.

Arepresents a platform or'bed 'mounted or chain wheel, a, by which it isdriven. The

rear axle, A is pivoted? to the under side of reach, B, extendingforward nearly to the slotted, as seen at b. l

B is a crank pivoted in the body. A, and having on its outer end awrist-pin, b, which works in the slot b in the reach. The pivot of thecrank 13, above the body A, is supplied with a rigid cross-head, 13*",having pivoted foot-pieces B on either end, by means of which the crankis turned, thereby throwing the reach upon one side or the other tosteer the vehicle. The reach is returned to its normal position by meansof springs 72 b upon each side, secured to the bed or body A. To takethe weight of the reach off the'crank, and also to limit its swing, Iprovide the body A, upon the under side,with a strap or stirrup, 0,pass;

ing laterally across beneath the reach, supporting it and limiting itsmovement.

- The wheels upon the rear axle are loose, but

those upon the forward or driving axle must which. is connectedby achain, c, with the.

wheel upon the driving-axle A. The shaft 0 also carries, near each end,a pair of similar wheels, 0 one of which is larger than the others, forreasons presently understood.

Upon the standards 0 G, and carried at the same angle, is bolted aframe, D, by bolts passing through slots in both frame and standards.The upper end of this frame D is supported upon braces d, and carries ashaft, D. Runningloosely on this shaft are four sprocketor chain wheels,D D D* D which increase in size in the order named, and are allconnected by chains or belts d to the corresponding wheels, 0 on theshaft 0. I prefer to'arrange these wheels D D D D in pairs near the endsof their shaft, and place between them the clutch-wheels d which areturned with the shaft, but left free to slide laterally by a feather,62*, on the shaft, as seen in Fig. 4. These clutches are each. providedupon their faces withsmallpins or, projections, which entercorresponding holesin the sides of the, sprocket-wheels.

To a cross-bar, E, on the frame D, I pivot two forked levers, e (2,connected to the clutch-- wheels d and provided with spring-latches e e,engaging with a series of holes in the face of the bar E. The shaft Dpasses throughthe' frame D, and its ends are provided with handles orcranks f f, by which the device is driven by hand. When the operatorwishes to climb a hill or pass over rough or very sandy roads, he throwsthe clutch into gear with the smallest wheel, D and when the handles areturned, this wheel, being only onehalf as large as its connecting-wheelon shaft 0, will make twice as many revolutions, but will give muchgreater power. If the hill is not Very steep, or the road so rough, hethrows the clutch the other way and engages the wheel D gaining in speedat but a small loss in power by the increased size of his driv-'ing-wheel. Upon smooth and level roads, where little power is required,the other clutch is thrown into gear with the wheels D or D, and a greatgain in speed is the result.

A seat for the rider may be placed just in rear of the frame D, andseated here he places his foot on the foot-pieces B, to steer. Shouldthe chains become loose or stretch out alittle the bolts may be loosenedand the frame drawn out upon the standards by means of the slots in theframe and standards.

The device described is inexpensive and simple, and, by enabling theoperator to obtain a varying power and speed as the occasion mayrequire, is adapted for use upon any kind of road.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, in a hand-velocipede, of the slotted frame D,carrying the shaft D, and loose chain-wheels D D D D ,of varying sizes,and their clutches d", with the slotted standards C C, carryingchain-wheels (1' C,

connected to the axle, and also to the shaft D, substantially as shownand described.

2. The combination, in a velocipede, of the platform or body A, pivotedaxle A, having slotted reach B, crank B, having wrist-pin b, cross-headB, and foot-pieces B B and the springs 12 b adapted to bear on oppositesides of the reach, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, in a velocipede, of the platform or body A, havingaxle A, provided with sprocket-wheel a, the standards C 0, adjustableframe D, shaft 0, journaled in the standards 0, and carryingsprocket-wheels C O, shaft D, journaled in the frame D, and carryingseveral loose sprocket-wheels of varying sizes, and suitable connectingand operating mechanism.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL GRAHSER.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. KRESSMANN, FRANK J OIINSON.

